08/30/2023
What is a conformal grasp? [ Warning long post!]
The term refers to the hand's unique ability to form various grips, such as pinches and holds, around objects of varying shapes and sizes. Hands have over 20 degrees of freedom which makes it a great tool for holding almost anything. A single finger has six degrees of freedom; it has three major joints each of which can be flexed or extended. This allows the finger to flex into a spiral and extend completely straight.
Over the years many robotics engineers have tried to mimic hand function, especially for prosthesis design. While there have been major advances, engineers often find themselves trying to balance weight and function. To increase the number of grasps a designer may consider adding another rotating joint, which could mean another motor & battery adding more weight to the system.
In exoskeleton design, engineers have produced conformal grasps with mechanical linkages, an assembly of bodies connected together to manage forces and movement. However, these are still limiting as these linkages are usually designed for motion in one plane and are often large on a user's hand.
Typically the more complexity that is added to a device the higher its cost is to produce. This is what makes Fiber by Hominid X different from its robotic counterparts. Fiber is a low-profile and lightweight grasping device that allows its user to hold objects of many different shapes and sizes, and it does so without any motors or batteries. Fiber is made of a custom-made soft silicone finger strap and spring-loaded cable mechanism to pull the fingers into a conformal grasp around objects.
Fiber uniquely balances price and functionality, allowing its users to complete many of the same grasps and grips without adding extra weight to their hands and costs to their wallets.
Ready to make daily tasks easier for you or a loved one? Visit us at HominidX.com to find out how Fiber can help!